I love the Denver Broncos. People have only two reactions to that: “Ew, why?”, or “Oh, you like Manning.”

Grrr.

Yes, I do like Manning, and I’m thrilled that we are in the Super Bowl in large part because of him, but that has nothing to do with why I like the team.

I’m originally from the Denver area, and I can’t remember ever not knowing who the Broncos were. There’s a John Elway jersey hanging in my closet. I sat in Mile High Stadium before it was Sports Authority Field. (Nevermind that I was there for a Rockies game before they had their own place. I was really into baseball at the time.)

Everyone has a different reason for liking the team(s) that they do, and for me I feel like I was just born that way, regardless of the quarterback.